Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-10-29
Allan Qlaternail
BY III. RIDER HAGGARD.
AUTHOR or KING soLoAoy's MINES, SHE.
.JEss," ''THE wIrcH's HEAD" ETC.

aAt least l replied, @thou art still lady
and therefore one to whom difference Is due
Also thou art in an evil case, and therefore II
is doubly due"
"Ahfp she answered, with a little laugh.
"thou dost forget that would have wrapped
thee in sheet of gold and hung thee to the
angels trumpet at the topmost pinnacle OF the
temple"
mo- answered, 81 assure thee l forgot II
not: indeed l often thought of it when il
seemed to me that the battle of the Pass was
turning against MS, but the trumpet Is there,
and am still here, though perchance not for
long, so why talk of it nowp
@Ahl" she went on. "the battlei the battle
Oh, would that / were once more queen, II
only for one little hour, and | would take suct
a vengeance on those accused jackals who
deserted me in my need, that it should only
be spoken of in whispers. those women, those
pigeon hearted half breeds who suffered them
selves to be overcome - and she cholSed in bel
wrath.
GAY, and that little coward beside thee, she
went on, pointing at Alphonse with the silver
spear, whereat he looked very uneomforta.
BILE; "he escaped and betrayed my plans.
tried to make general of him, telling the
soldiers it was Bougwan, and to scourge valoi
into him. (hee Alphonse shivered at some
unhappy recollection, "but it was of no avail
He hid beneath banner in my tent and thus
overheard all my plans. would that had
slain him, but alasI | held my hand And
thou, Macumazahn, have heard of what
thou didst, thou art brave man and hast
loyal heart. And the black one, too, alb, be
was a man. fain would have seen him huI1
Nasta from the stairway"
''Thou art strange woman, Sorais,"
said 81 pray thee now plead with the Queer
Nyleptha, that perchance she may show
mercy unto thee"
She lau. he'd out loud 81 plead for mercyF
she said, and at that moment the queen en-
tered accompanied by Sir Henry and Good
and took her seat with an impassive face As
for poor Good, he looked intensely i'll at ease
Correcting, Soraisr' said Nyleptha, after q
short pause "Thou hast rent the kingdom
like q rag, thou hast put thousands of my
people to the sword, thou hast twice basely
plotted to destroy my life by murder, thor
hast sworn to slay my lord and his compan
ions and to hurl me from the stairway What
hast thou to say why thou shouldst not die
Speak, o Soraisp
"Methinks my sister the queen, hath for
gotten the chief count of the Indictment
answered Sorais, in her slow musical tones
at runs thus Thou didst strive to wiR the
love of my lord Incubu.' 1t is for this crime
that my sister will STAY me, not because ]
levied war 1t is perhaps happy for thee
Nyleptha, that fixed my mind upon his love
too late.
"Listen," she went on, raising her voice, q
have naught to say save that would hao
won instead of lost. Do thou with me ever
as thou wilt o queen and let my lord the
king there pointing to Sir Henry, 'for now
will he be king, carry out the sentence, as ii
is meet he should. for as he is the beginning
of the evil, let him also be the end" and she
drew herself up and shot one angry glance al
him from her deep fringed eyes, and then be
gan to toy with her spear.
Sir Henry bent toward Nyleptha and whis
pered something that could not catch, ano
then the queen spoke
"Sorais, ever have | been good sister &c
thee. When our father died, and there was
much talk in the land as to whether thou
shouldst sit upon the throne with me, being
the elder, gave my voice for thee and said
Nay, let her sit. She is twin with me; we
were born at a birth; wherefore should the one
be preferred before the otherP And so has il
ever been 'twixt thee and me, my sister. But
now thou knowest in what sort thou hast re
paid me- but have prevailed, and thy life
is forfeit, Sorais And yet art thou my sis,
ter, born at a birth with me, and we played
together when we were little and loved each
other much, and at night we sleptin the same
cot with our arms each around the others
neck, and therefore even now does my heart
go out to thee, Sorais.
"But not for that would l spare thy life,
for thy ofIense has been too heavy; it doth
drag down the wide wings of my mercy even
to the ground Also, while thou dost live the
land will never be at peace.
''Yet shalt thou not die, Sorais, because
my dear lord here hath begged thy life of me
as boon; therefore as a boon and as a mar
riage gift give it to him, to do with even as
he wills, knowing that, though thou dost love
him, he loves thee not Sorais, for all thy
beauty Nay, though thou art lovely as the
night in all her stars, o Lady of the Night
yet is it me his wife whom he loves, and moi
thee, and therefore do / give thy life to him. v
Sorais flushed 40 to her eyes and said moth.
ing, and l do not think that ever saw man
look more miserable than did Sir Henry al
that moment Somehow Nyleptha's way OF
putting the thing, though true and forcible
enough, was rot altogether pleasant.
81 understd a." stammered Curtis, looking
at Good-"I understood that you were at
d-eh-attached TOTO the Queen So
rails am-eh-not aware what THEM
short, the state of your feelings may be just
now; but if they happen to be that way in
clined, it has struck me that--in short, il
might put satisfactory end to an unpleasant
business. The lady also has ample private
estates, where am sure she would be at lib
erty to live unmolested so far as we are con-
cerned, eh, Nyleptha' OF course l only sug
gest.n
$50 far as l am concerned, said Good, col
oring up, II am quite willing to forget the
past; and if the Lady of the Night thinks me
worth having will marry her tomorrow, OF
when she likes, and try to make her good
husband
All eyes were now turned to Sorais, who
stood with that same slow smile upon heI